Talk To Me

Chapter eleven

Present

Oliver stood in the middle of his living room, still feeling confused, his eyesight stuck on the spot where Leah vanished. The room's barely noticeable sound of tv presented, but even the program switch didn't capture Oliver's attention.

Several minutes later, Oliver felt pulled out from this trance state by a powerful melody and vibrating sound. He glanced at the brown coffee table, Mark's photo displayed on his phone screen. He took a step and got his phone, lifting it to his ear after swiping the screen.

"Yeah." Oliver's voice appeared scratchy.

There stood a shuffling noise for a moment until a familiar chipper voice reached Oliver. "Did you see the news?"

The excitement in his friend's voice made Oliver more confused. "Yes, I saw." His throat felt dry, presenting his speech as a murmur.

"That's great, right?" Mark waited for his friend's answer, but all he heard was just a slight background noise. "They reopened the case, Oliver." Oliver cleared his throat with a loud cough. "What's wrong?"

"Could you give me a lift, Mark?" Oliver rubbed his chin and at that moment, he started to put together an action plan.

His friend's request seemed absurd to Mark. "It's late, Oliver, and I'm in my bed. Where do you want to go, anyway?"

"To Cassie's place." It remained still difficult to call that apartment, just Cassie's home.

Concern about his best friend grew in Mark, and his voice presented his emotions. "Why she—" Oliver had a feeling what Mark wanted to say, and the only thing that would get his best friend on board was telling the truth.

"Mark, Leah was here tonight—"

"I'll be there in five minutes." Mark didn't wait for Oliver's answer, ending the call just after finishing his sentence.

Oliver looked at his phone screen for a moment, realizing Mark hung up the phone. He didn't wait for long, taking his black coat and sneakers, leaving his home in a swift motion. It took a few minutes to adjust to the lack of light outside. The main house's first floor remained dark as a slight glow came from the second floor, giving enough light to the pathwalk for Oliver to walk faster. Shortly, Oliver reached the sidewalk and waited for his best friend. He pushed his hair back as the warm wind touched his face.

The lack of traffic and lights didn't bother Oliver. He knew it remained a poor idea to visit his sister's friend at this hour. But the way Leah talked and what she said made Oliver eager to find out what really happened. Leah implied that what occurred was Cassie's fault. 'She set us up, Oliver,' Leah's hectic voice lingered in Oliver's mind.

The sudden square lights reached Oliver's view, forcing him to shut his eyes for a moment and overpowering the thought process in his head.

A few moments later, still seeing black spots in his sight, Oliver quickly hopped into the passenger seat. The car smelled like cigarettes, presenting Mark's habit to smoke in the car. The drench felt so present that it felt obvious Mark just finished his cigarette.

Mark didn't look at his friend as his eyesight shifted from the road to the back of the car. "Hi, Leah," he said in a sing-song voice, staring at the empty backseat.

Oliver rubbed his left temple and the part of his forehead. "What are you doing?"

"Well, I'm assuming she got into the back seat since you are sitting here." Mark motioned to the passenger seat.

Oliver glanced at his friend. "She is not even here." He shook his head lightly.

"How would I know that?" Mark stretched out his hands. "Why is she not here?" His eyebrows rose.